Hanuman Nataka (critical study)
by Nurima Yeasmin | 2015 | 41,386 words
This page relates ‘Varieties of Drishyakavya’ of the English study on the Hanuman-nataka written by Shri Damodara Mishra in the 11th century. The Hanumannataka is a Mahanataka—a fourteen-act Sanskrit drama dealing with the story of Rama and Hanumat (Hanuman) and presents the events in the lifes of Rama, Sita, Ravana and Hanuman (the son of Anjana and Vayu—the God of the Winds) based on the Ramayana story.
Part 2: Varieties of Dṛśyakāvya
The works, which can be represented dramatically are known as dṛśyakāvya which include both rūpakas and uparūpakas.[1] On the other hand, śravyakāvya[2] contains the other literary compositions. Rūpakas are ten in number while Uparūpakas have eighteen varieties.
According to the Sāhityadarpaṇa (Sāhityadarpaṇa) the ten varieties of Rūpakas are:
The Nāṭyaśāstra (Nāṭyśāstra) also holds the same opinion.[4] Dhanañjaya in his Daśarūpaka[5] (Daśarūpaka) also speaks of these ten varieties of rūpakas.
Uparūpakas are of eighteen types, namely—
- Nāṭikā,
- Troṭakam,
- Goṣṭhi,
- Saṭṭaka,
- Naṭyarāsaka,
- Prasthāna,
- Ullāpya,
- Kāvya,
- Preṅkhana,
- Rāsaka,
- Saṃlāpaka,
- Śrīgadita,
- Śilpaka,
- Vilāsikā,
- Durmallikā,
- Prakaraṇī,
- Halliśa and
- Bhāṇikā.[6]
It may be noted in this respect that the term ‘drama’ which is generic in nature, should not be treated as an equivalent to the Sanskrit term ‘Nāṭaka’. The ‘Nāṭaka’ therefore, is taken to mean a special type of composition in Sanskrit dramatic literary form.
Footnotes and references:
[3]:
nāṭakamatha prakaraṇaṃ bhāṇavyāyogasamavakāradimah ihāmṛgāṅakabīthyaḥ prahasanamiti rūpakāṇi daśa / ibid., VI
[4]:
nāṭakaṃ saprakaramaṅko vyāyoga eba ca bhānaḥ
samavakāraḥ bīthī prahasanaṃ dimaḥ ihāmṛgahca vijñyeyo daśamo nāṭyalakṣaṇe Nāṭyśāstra XVII. 2.3
[5]:
nāṭakam saprakaraṇam bhānaḥ prahasanam dimah vyāyoga
samavakārau bithyankihāmṛgā iti Daśarūpaka I.8
[6]:
nāṭikā troṭakaṃ goṣṭhī saṭṭakaṃ nāṭyarāsakam/
prasthānullapyakāvyāni preṅkhaṇaṃ rāsakaṃ tathā/
saṃlāpakaṃ śrīgaditaṃ śilpakam ca vilāsikā//
durmallikā prakaraṇī hallīśo bhāṇiketi ca /
aṣṭādaśa prāhrūpakāṇi manīṣiṇaḥ Sāhityadarpaṇa VI, 4,5,6